Picking the Team

One of the most difficult tasks for a manager is to pick the right people to be members of the team.

He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons. - Mark 3:13-15

In the third chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus picks his team.

He has already been out among the people, casting out demons, healing the sick and attracting a huge gathering of followers, and among them are the disciples, those he chose to be followers, and those who want to learn from him.

Now we will never know, but I wonder if there were some who were called to follow who were not chosen to be apostles.

It would make sense, wouldn't it?  In order for Jesus to pick twelve who would lead, there had to be many more who would go with them, to follow and learn.

But the problem with all that is his choice of one who would betray him, Judas Iscariot.  If he chose the best of the best, then what were the others like?

The mistake we make is to think of all these men as saints, near perfect in every way.

They were probably far from saintly when chosen, and that is the disturbing part of the plan, the thing that gives us pause when considering how we could be like Jesus.

Jesus didn't choose based on the same criteria we would use.  He chose those who needed to turn their lives around, average folk in need of God's help.

What if we did the same when looking for help for our team?  What if our criteria for talent selection included considering those who need it most?

A short while ago I posted an article challenging businesses to look for ways to hire the homeless, those with the greatest need for work.

It's not easy to do, I know, and even the best example we have resulted in one who turned out to be a a bad choice.  But why not give it a thought, and maybe even give it a try?

After all, how many good hires have turned out bad?

We may just find a diamond in the rough.

More to come...